What are Christians to do if there are no solid churches in the area they live in? Allow me to give you some helpful advice. First, find a church that is close to a biblical church that you can plug into. It is important for Christians to be a part of a local assembly where we worship the Lord and be equipped for the work of ministry. So we need to find one that is close to the Bible as much as possible. It will not be a perfect church, which no church is perfect, but it will be a church where you can serve and fellowship with.
Now there will be some secondary issues where you may disagree with whether it is eschatology or baptism, but there is where you discuss with the elders of that church (more on that in a moment) and pray for wisdom. Do not go into a church blindly. Look at what they hold major in and minor in. Look at how they conduct their worship service. Is it a worship service or a concert? What do they teach outside of Sunday morning? Are they woke? Do they allow lost people as members of the body? There are many questions to look at when considering a church.
What if the church does not have elders? Sadly most church do not. They have the Senior Pastor in a CEO model of leadership with the Deacons either acting as elders or a board of trustees. Some pastors think elders are unbiblical. Some churches do not have elders because it was never part of their tradition. So I would be cautious and ask questions regarding that issue if comes about. Express to the pastor why you believe churches need to have elders and see what his response is.
Second, after you find a church that is close to sound doctrine even though you may not agree with everything they say and do, seek God earnestly. It is easy to get discouraged when attending a church that you know it is not Calvinistic or that does not do expositional preaching. The best thing we can outside of finding a church is seek God all the more. David wrote in the Psalms:
O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land without water.
Thus I have beheld You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will laud You.
Thus I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with fatness and richness,
And my mouth offers praises with lips of joyful songs (Psalm 63:1-5, LSB).
Seek God in prayer and reading the Bible. As you seek God, grow in the faith. Listen to sermons, podcasts, messages from various conferences, and read good theological books. Make sure these things do not replace attending corporate worship on the Lord's Day. The writer of Hebrews says, "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, LSB)
Now comes one big question: What if there is a solid church from a great distance? Great question. There is a saying, "The drive is worth it if the church is alive." Not sure who came up with that, but it makes sense. Some of you probably could make the drive to be part of a good, solid church. However, some of you cannot.
This is where you seek God for wisdom in this area. If you are married, talk it over with your spouse. Also consider if is it reasonable especially with gas above $3.00 a gallon.
I know that fellowship with a long distance church will be difficult. Yes, there are ways to stay in contact with people of the church you are attending, but nothing can replace seeing your brothers and sisters face-to-face.
I hope this was helpful. I know there are different opinions about this issue, but every Christians need to lean on God and ask for wisdom in considering what church to be part of in an area where there seems to be no solid churches.
No comments:
Post a Comment